The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Idaho Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Check Idaho Vital Records Online for more information about the resources listed below. Most online resources for Idaho Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.

The first government recorded birth records in Idaho were kept in the 1870s by midwives who sent their reports to county clerks. These are very limited in scope and numbers. Occasionally, delayed birth certificates were issued by the State of Idaho.

The counties were officially required to keep registers of births from 1907 to 1911. The Idaho State Historical Society (PARL) in Boise and the Family History Library have acquired microfilm copies of most of the county recordings from all counties.

1911 - Present

Statewide registration of births began in 1911, and was generally complied with in the western part of Idaho by the early 1920s. Eastern and northern Idaho were much later in compliance. Delayed birth certificates were occasionally issued to satisfy passport, Social Security and other requirements.

The county recorders have marriage records since the date each county was organized. In addition to the registers most counties will also have the original marriage applications. These are especially valuable if one or both marriage parties are under legal age as permission from the parent or guardian is included. The Family History Library has microfilmed most of the pre-1950's registers.

Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho served eloping couples from Idaho, and Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana. In Coeur d'Alene, there was no paper work or waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage. Some Idaho couples may have run away to West Wendover, Elko County, Nevada.

The counties were officially required to keep registers of deaths from 1907 to 1911. The Idaho State Archives in Boise and the Family History Library have acquired microfilm copies of most of the county recordings from all counties. Generally, deaths were recorded less frequently than births.

1911 - Present

After 1911, deaths occurring in Idaho are included in a state wide registration program operated by the State. These records are restricted for a period of fifty years from the time of the individual's death. Close family members may obtain copies of certificates for more recent years as per state access restrictions.

State your relationship to the individual you want information about and the reason you want the information. Only family members can obtain the information in these files. Fees and restrictions on providing copies are available on their website.

Copies of the certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and located at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, BYU-Idaho University Library in Rexburg and several other locations.

A state-wide index to Idaho Deaths, 1911-1956 is available online. Efforts to expand this index to 1960 are underway.

A valuable non-government listing of death related events in eastern Idaho is the Eastern Idaho Deaths (indexed by the Idaho Falls Regional Family History Center and hosted by Brigham Young University-Idaho).

Fetal Deaths
A "Certificate of Stillbirth" is confidential for 50 years. Immediate family member or their legal representative may request a copy of a "Fetal Death Record" and you must prove your relationship to the fetus.[1]

Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.

If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.

Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relation.

Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Idaho to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.